Process of knitting



Sept. 17, 1940- R. E. DAVIS, JR

PROCESS OF KNITTING Original Filed Feb. 24, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Sept. 17, 1940. R E, DAVIS. JR 2,215,235

PROCESS OF KNITTING Original Filed Feb. 24, 1938 Y 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sfaf/an 1 P 1940- R. E. DAVIS, JR

' PROCESS OF KNITTING I Original Filed Fe b. 24, 1938 6'Sheets-Sheet s ATTORNEY Sept. 17, 1940.

R. E. DAVIS, JR

PROCESS OF KNITTING- Original Filed Feb. 24, 1938 2 2=K vj' w m 5 $1; U 21 W m 21 6 Sheets-Shet 4.

Sept. 17,1940; R. E. DAVIS. JR 2,215,286

PROCESS OF KNITTING- Original Filed Feb. 24, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Sept. 17, 1940 R. E. DAVIS, JR ,2

PROCESS OF KNITTING Original Filed Feb. 24, 193%, 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Sept. 17, 1940 .UNITED STATES PATENT omcs .215.286

PROCESS OF KNITTING Original application February 24, 1938," Serial No.

192,230. 1939, Serial No. 266,454

Divided and this application April 7,

100mm, (ems-41) My invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate two embodiments of the same, selected by me for pur- 6 poses of illustration, and the said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims. I

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 192,230, filed February 24, 1938, now

10 Patent No. 2,191,456.

In the manufacture of plain knit hosiery, and particularly in ,the manufacture of socks and anklets, it has been customary for many years to provide the upper part of the leg portion with what is termed a top formed of rib knitting of several inches in length, in order to provide a form fitting effect, the tubular rib knit portion having a smaller diameter and much greater elasticity than the plain knit fabric forming the main portion of the leg, and containing the same number of stitches in the consecutive courses. This ordinarily necessitated knitting the rib tops on a rib knitting machine of some kind, then transferring the last row of stitches of the rib 'top to the single circular series of needles of a plain knitting machine, and then knitting the leg, heel, foot and e of the stocking. This transfer involved the employment of highly skilled labor and addedmaterially to the expense of the on goods.

The object of my invention is to produce on a single machine, that is a plain knitting machine, by continuous operation, an entire stocking hav-- ing a top of reduced diameter, obtained by form- 3;, ing stitches or wales on less than all of the needles, and preferably on every other needle of the circular series, and by the incorporation of an elastic thread of rubber or the well-known Lastex in certain of the courses of stitches so 43 formed, the elastic thread being fed under sufil-I cient tension so that when the fabric is removed from the knitting needles, the elastic thread will draw the adjacent wales so formed on the alternate needles intojuxtaposition to produce a i 45 smooth faced plain knitfabric of much less diameter than the plain knit fabric knit on all the needles of the same machine, said stocking having the leg and footformed of courses of stitches equal in number to the number of needles in the machine and knit together with the heel and toe pockets in the usual manner and integral with the top of reduced diameter. The

elastic thread is incorporated in the top by knitting it on the selected needles, less than the entire number, and preferably every other needle,

it mechanism for feeding a'thread or threads upon which the top is formed, in selected courses of thetop, spaced from each other by intervening courses which do not contain the elastic thread, the elastic thread in the stitches of the several courses'containing it strai'gtening out in the fab- "I ric by reason of the tension under which the elastic thread'is fed, and tending to bring together the preceding and succeeding courses formed entirely of body thread, and thus forming horizontally separated annular beads on-the 10 inner face of the fabric.- These horizontal beadstend to impress themselves into the skin of the wearer when the stocking is worn, and being separated over such a large area, will support the top firmly on the leg and hold the leg of the stocking against any tendency to workdownwards, without inconvenience or discomfort, to the wearer. My improved stocking, therefore, provides a form fitting top of diameter smaller than that of the leg of the stocking and sufii- 20 clently elastic to permit the stocking to be drawn on over the heel, and also provides a self-supporting function, which enables it to be worn without garters or other extraneous supports.

The fabric or stocking formed by my im- .2

proved process is not claimed herein as it forms the subject matter of my former application above referred to, of which this application is a division.

My improved process can be carried. out and my 30 improved stocking and fabric can be produced by, hand, butit is ordinarily carried out by a I circularknitting machine, preferably what is termed a stocking knitter, and the. successive courses of the top, leg and foot of the stocking .35 1

may be formed of a .plurality of courses knit simultaneously at a single revolution of the machine, or it maybe formed by a plurality of successive courses, each knit by a singlerevolution of the machine, as may be preferred. Where multiplecourse knitting is employed, the knitting machine will be provided with a plurality of knitting cams located at different positions around the needle cylinder, each having associated with separately during a single revolution of the machine, one of said knitting cams having associated with it a feeding finger for feeding the elastic thread, which may be thrown into and out of operation, as well as a similar threadfeeding finger for one of the body threads, and the fabric produced in this manner will be formed on successive :courses, the stitches of each of which will be knit into the stitches of a preceding, and suc- I ceeding course formed of a different thread. so

either case the feed fingers may be provided in top, which are formed of elastic thread, will ordinarily contain stitches formed from the same thread or threads, it being understood that in multiple to permit the substitution of threads of different colors or of different material inthe usual manner of producing striping or reinforcing effects. I

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my improved fabric for the top of a stocking, and a stocking containing the same, and so much of a circular knitting machine as is necessary to a clear understanding of the manner in which my improved process of knitting is carried into eflect.

In the said drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a short sock or anklet embodying my invention and produced by my improved process.

' Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a circular series of needles and a plurality of-knitting cams which may be employed in a knitting machine for carrying out my improved process and producing the fabric and stocking illustrated in Fig. 1 by multiple course knitting.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the location of the several threads forming the courses of multiple knitting.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view showing a circular series of needles in association with a single knitting cam and thread feeding fingers for carrying out my improved process and producing my improved fabric and stocking by single course knitting.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the relation of the several threads in the fabric produced by single course knitting.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view representing a cam cylinder of a knitting machine formulticourse knitting, cut and spread out into a single plane and showing the relation of the needles, the several knitting cams and the thread feed fingers associated therewith.

Fig. 7 represents one of the short butt needles provided with a shoulder above the butt.

Fig. 7a shows a short butt needle of ordinary form.

Fig. 8 shows-one of the long butt needles provided with a shoulder above the butt.

Fig. 8a shows one of the long butt needles of ordinary form.

55 Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner of feeding the elastic thread to selected and preferably alternate needles.

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the selected needles drawing stitches of the elastic thread, the remaining needles casting off previously held loops.

Fig. 11 is a similar view showing the feeding of a body thread to all of the needles adjacent to an auxiliary knitting cam at the second knitting station, where multiple feeding is carried out.

Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the 'body thread drawn through the stitches of the elastic thread in the preceding course by the selected needles to form stitches, and drawn into loops by the intermediate needles.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 11, showing another body thread fedto all the needles adiacent to another auxiliary cam at the third knitting station.

.I'lg.14 isaviewsimilartoFig. 12, showing 2,215,286 the body thread drawn through the stitches and loops in the preceding course and formed into stitches on each of the needles.

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Figs. 11 and 13, I

showing another body thread fed to all of the 'needles adjacent to another auxiliary ca'm at the fourth knitting station. Fig. 16 shows the body thread drawn through the stitches of the preceding course and forming stitches on each needle.

Fig. '17 is a diagrammatic view taken at the junction of the lower end of the top and the upper end of the foot section and illustrating the transition from the smaller number of stitches in the to to the full number of stitches on all the nee es in the leg.

Fig. 18 is a diagrammatic and theoretical view of the fabric of the stocking shown in Fig. 1, at the Junction between the lower part of the top of reduced diameter and the adjacent part of the leg, showing the stitches, considerably magnified, as they would be actually formed on the needles.

Fig. 19 is a similar view showing the elastic thread in the top straightened out.

Fig. 20 is a similar view illustrating the cor-. responding parts of the fabric and showing the effect of the elastic thread as it straightens out inbringing the adjacent courses of stitches of the body thread closer together vertically and contracting the fabric laterally.

Fig. 21 is a view similar to Fig. 9, showing the thread to the selected needles, together with the elastic thread.

Fig. 23 is a view similar to Fig. 9, showing an additional body thread fed in platingrelation .with the elastic thread to the selected needles.

Fig. 24 is a view similar to the upper part of Fig. 20, showing diagrammatically a portion of modified fabric in which a body thread is fed with the elastic thread to selected needles.

Fig. 25 is a diagrammatic sectional view showing a portion of the fabric of the top of an anklet folded over on the outside of the remaining portion.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown in Fig. 1 a short sock or anklet, plain knit throughout, having the top, indicated at A, of reduced diameter and containing asmaller number of stitches in each course, preferably half the number of stitches in the leg portion B, and the foot portion C. D, represents the heel pocket, and E the toe pocket formedin the usual manner by reciprocating knitting and narrowing and widening, the terminal course of the toe pocket on the upper side ofthe foot being united to the corresponding portion of the terminal course of tion, side by side, by the tension under which the elastic thread is fed in forming the courses containing it. The leg portion B and the foot portion 0 of the stocking may be knit by single one, two, three or four body threads, as preferred. 4

A machine suitable for carrying out my hereindescribed process and producing my improved fabric and stocking is illustrated in my commay be panion application for Letters Patent of the United States filed on the 3rd --day of March, 1938, and given Serial No. 193,622, and I have illustrated diagrammatically in Figs. 2 and 6 the arrangement of knitting cams and their associated thread feed fingers, forconvenience in describing the process and product. This machine is the well-known Banner machine manufactured by the Hemphill Company of Pawtucket,

R. I., with certain changes and modifications fully disclosed in my companion application, the

details of which are not necessary to an understanding of mypresent invention.

As indicated in Figs. 7 to 80., the needles are divided in the usual manner into those having short butts, indicated at 1a in Figs. '1 and 7a,

and those having long butts, indicated at is in Figs. 8 and 8a, the 'shortbutt needles extending half way around thecylinder and cooperating with the usual picker mechanism to effect 'narrowing and widening. Certain of the long butt needles, as well as the short butt needles are provided above the butt with a shoulder, as indicated at lb and lb in Figs. 7 and 8, which are of less length in a radial direction than the needle butts la and 8a. I prefer to place these shouldered needles and plain needles, both of the long butt and short butt serles,- alternately in the cylinder, although I do not wish to be limitedto that arrangement. The cam ring. indicated at I. in Fig, 6, is provided with a. main knitting cam mechanism of ordinary form. comprising the knitting cam 9 and the associated cam elements to, 9b, 90, for actuating the needles during both circular and reciprocating work, in a well-known way, and the cam ring is further provided in this instance with three auxiliary.

knitting cams i8, i9 and 20, arranged atdifi'erent points around the needle circle. as indicated for example in Fig. 2. Each of the auxiliary cams is movable into and out of operative position, preferably in radial directions, although this isnot essential. 4

Associated with the main knitting cam, which is located adjacent to the throat plate, are the usual plurality of threadfeed fingers. one of which is indicated at It, which'is adapted to feed the elastic thread i to the hooks of the selected or non-shouldered alternate needles when they are raised above the adJacent needles. The elastic thread is fed to the finger Ill and to the needles .under appreciable tension sulficient to draw together the wales o! the fabric,

' which as will be hereinafer described, are formed only on the selected alternateneedle's. Any suitable form of tension device may be employed,

sition occupied by the selected needles at the feed-- ing point, as clearly indicated in Fig. 6. Atthe throat there isaiso provided one or more thread guides for body thread, one of which is indi- 75 cated at l2 for feeding a body thread, indicated at to, to all of the needles at a lower level than that of the fin er it when in operative position, the operative position of finger l2 being indicated in dotted lines. These thread fingers l0 and 12 are independently movable into and out of operation, and when one is in operative position the other is in inoperative position in carrying out my present invention. For convenience of description I have indicated in Fig. 6 the main knitting cam and associated thread feed fingers as knitting station No. l-., The auxiliary knittingfcams It, IS and 20 when in operative position do not project inwardly far enough to operatlvely engage the. shoulders lb, 8b, but will engage the butts of both long and short needles and will operate all needles in' the same manner. In association with auxiliary cam l8, there is provided a thread finger 2| for feeding inelastic or body thread 2 to all of the needles and constituting with the knitting'cam l8 knitting station No.2. The auxiliary knitting cami9 is provided with an associated thread feed finger 22 for feeding a body thread 3 to all the needles and constitutes with the cam l9, knitting station No. 3. Associated with knitting cam '20 is a thread feed finger 23 for feeding a body thread l to all of the needles and constituting, together with the cam 20, knitting station No. 4; Means (not shown) are provided in connection with each of the auxiliary knitting cams for throwing said cams and their associated thread feeding means simultaneously'into and out of operative position. While I have shown in Fig. 6 only one thread feed finger for body thread ateach knitting station, it will be understood that additional thread fingers may be provided carrying body threads of difierent colors or .of different character for purposes of striping or reinforcing. is will be readily understood.' It will be obvious that multiple knitting may be carried out wlth'two, three or ,four' threads, as may be 1 desired.

The manner of carrying my process .into ef-- fect by multiple course knitting is illustrated diagram "Mtically in detail in Figs. 9 to 17, inclu- -sive, assuming that one course of stitches ,of elasticthread and three courses of stitches of'inelastic or body thread are to be formed in each revolution of the machine. For convenience of explanation I have assumed in Fi 9 that three courses of stitches with the body threads 2, 3 and l have been formed and that the stitches of body thread I are held on each of the needles as they approach the first knitting station. At this point the draw-down portions of the main knitting cam will engage the shoulders of the non-selected needles and draw them down to a greater extent than the selected non-shouldered needles, the hooks'of which will therefore be in feed finger it than the hooks ,of the intervening non-selected .needles. The selected alternate a higher plane at the feed point adjacent to their needles will receive the'elastic thread I, thread finger l2 being in inoperative position as shown in Fig. 6, and the selected needles only will draw down loops of elastic thread I throughthe stitches of the preceding course formed of body thread 4, as indicated in Fig. 10, while. the nonselected needles which do not receive the elastic thread I will cast of! their loops of thread 4, which will therefore unravel and straighten out, together with the corresponding loops of the preceding courses formed by body threads 3 and 2, forming floats, as clearly indicated in Fig. 11,

by connecting floats in the fabric.

between the wales formed by the selected'needles. All the needles will then be raised as indicated in Fig. 11, before coming to knitting station No. 2, the selected needles holding loops of elastic thread I and the intervening needles being bare, and all of the needles will receive the body thread 2 from the thread guide 2|, and

will be drawn down by the auxiliary knitting cam I8, as shown in Fig. 12. The selected needles will draw stitches of thread 2 through the stitches of the preceding course formed by the elastic thread I, while the intervening needles will merely draw down the thread without forming a stitch. The needles are then raised before reaching the third knitting station and receive another body thread 3, as indicated in Fig. 13, from thread feed finger 22, and are drawn down by the auxiliary knitting cam I9, as indicated in Fig. 14, the selected needles drawing stitches of the thread 3 through the stitches ofthe preceding course and the intervening needles drawing stitches through the loops ofthread 2 in the preceding course. The needles are then.

raised and pass to the fourth knitting station, where they receive the body thread 4 from thread feed finger 23,.and are all drawn down by the auxiliary knitting cam 20, the selected needles again drawing stitches of the thread i through the stitches of the preceding course and the intervening needles also drawing stitches of the body thread 4 through the stitches of the preceding course formed by body thread 3. The needles then pass to the first station again, as indicated in Fig. 9, where the selected needles are raised and only the selected needles receive the elastic thread I, and being drawn down as indicated in Fig. 10, the selected needles form alternate stitches of the elastic thread I, while the intervening needles cast off their stitches, permitting the corresponding stitches of the preceding courses to again unravel and form floats, as previously described, and the operation is repeated in every revoiution of the machine throughout the top.

From the foregoing explanation it will be seen that in knitting the top fabric, separated vertical wales will be formed by the selected or nonshouldered needles only, making the number of stitches in each'course in this instance 'half the entire number of needles, and these wales will be connected by horizontal floats produced by the unraveling of the intermediate stitches of body thread formed on the intervening needles, but permitted to ravel out at each course of the elastic thread I, in the manner described.

The 'floatsin every fourth course will be of the elastic thread I, and as the elastic thread is fed under suitable tension as the fabric leaves the needles, the separated wales will be drawn together at the elastic courses and also between the elastic courses, the reduced number of stitches in the fabric tending to elongate somewhat and take up portions of the floats of inelastic thread, and thus producing a. plain knit fabric having a smooth outer face and composed of half the number of stitches in each course than would ordinarily be made if stitches had been formed by all the needles.

I term this fabric a tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric asit is formed by alternate In the upper part of Fig. 18 I have shown,

back, as clearly shown in Fig. 17.

greatly magnified, the alternate drop stitch fabric as it would appear theoretically if it remained in the condition in which it is knit. The tension of the elastic thread I, however, causes it to straighten out in the fabric, thus practically.

eliminating the loops formed. by the elastic thread and distorting the stitches of the preceding and succeeding course formed of elastic thread, in the manner indicated in the upper part of Fig. 19. At the same time the tension of the elastic thread will draw the fabric'together laterally, as before described, and produce a fabric was drawn in this manner to illustrate the continuity of the wales of the alternate drop stitch fabric top with the alternate-wales of the plain knit leg. As a matter of fact, all of the wales of the alternate drop stitch fabric will be drawn close together when the fabric is released, from the needles, and this will naturally produce gathers or wrinkles in the plain knit leg fabric where they join the top, asindicated at a, in Fig. 1.

In actual practice, the stitches of the alternate drop stitch fabric tend to enlarge slightly when the fabric is contracted laterally by the elastic threads and shorten the intervening floated portions of the inelastic thread between the wales. In the courses preceding and succeeding the elastic thread however, the distortion of the stitches by the straightening out of the elastic tends to overcome this tendency, but in any intermediate courses other than those with which the elastic thread is interknit the stitches will not be taken up vertically in this manner, and will result in somewhat elongated stitches which produce an ornamental lacyefiect in the finished fabric.

Thus, in Fig. 20 for example, it will be noted with special reference to the upper portion of the figure, that the stitches formed by the threads 4 and 2 and indicated at s, will not be lengthened vertically, due to theirinterknltting with the elastic thread I, while the stitches indicated at s, which are formed of the thread 3 and lie in-. termediate the courses formed by the threads 2 and 4, not coming into contact with the elastic thread, become somewhat elongated and produce the lacy effect at intervals in the fabric above referred to.

When the top of the stocking formed of the aforesaid alternate drop stitch fabric has been knit to the desired length, the thread feed finger I0 is thrown out of operation at knitting station 1, see Fig. 6, and the finger l2 carrying the inelastic or body thread la is thrown into operation so as to feed the thread Ia to all of the needles in the next course, as indicated in Fig. 17. All of the needles'will draw loops of the thread Ia through the loops, of the precedingcourse, so that no loops will be caused to cast off and ravel In the next course formed by the thread 2 and auxiliary cam I8, the thread 2 will be drawn through each of the stitches of the preceding course, thus producing a complete course of stitches on all the needles, and the machine will continue to knit complete courses of stitches with threads 3 and 4 in a single revolution of the cylinder, and thereafter courses of stitches in each revolution of the cylinder througout the formation of the leg, if the auinliary knitting cams are allowed to remain in operative position with respect to their respective feed fingers.

It will be obvious that the leg of the stocking can be knit by single courses of knitting with the thread la, by throwing out of operation all of the auxiliary cams and their feed fingers, or the leg may be knit by multiple course knittin with two courses formed simultaneously, by throwing out of operation two of the auxiliary knitting cams and their feed fingers, or theleg may be knit by multiple course knitting with three threads and the formation of three courses in each revolution of the machine by throwing out one of the auxiliary knitting cams and its associated feed finger, as may be preferred.

It will also be understood that when the heel pocket is reached, the auxiliary cams and their feed fingers if in use will be thrown out of operation and theheel packet will be knit by reciprocating knitting and narrowing and widening, in the usual manner, with a single body thread,-as the thread la, or a heavier thread or reinforcing thread, which may be thrown in by one of the other thread feed fingers (not shown) in awellknown way, after which the foot portion of the stocking between the heel and toe pockets is knit as plain knitfabric by single course or multiple course knitting, as preferred and the toe pocket is formed in the usual manner like the heel pocket.

If it is desired, where the legand foot-portions of the stocking are knit by multiple course knitting, the auxiliary knitting cam or cams may be thrown out of operation and one or more courses of single feed'stitches may be formed before the heel pocket is knit, and at the conclusion of the heel pocket, and the usual toe joining band may be formed at the end of the foot portion adjacent to the toe pocket by single course knitting, if desired.

It will be'understoodthat the alternate drop stitch fabric which forms the top of the stocking may also be knit by single course knitting, in

g which case courses formed of the elastic thread will be fed to the selected needles, that is to say the alternate needles only at knitting statiofi l,'

and the auxiliary cams and their feed guides will be moved out of operative position. After a complete course of alternate stitches has been formedby the elastic thread, the feed of elastic thread is.

discontinued by throwing out of operation the feed finger l and the feed finger I2 is thrown into operation, to knit the intermediate courses of inelastic thread la, which is fed to all the needles at a lower level than the feeding position of the finger III, as before explained. After the-completion of the intervening courses, thread finger I2 is thrown out of operation and finger Ill brought again into operation, to feed the elastic thread to alternate or selected needles, thereby causing the stitches of inelastic thread previously fed to the intervening needles to ravel back, in

the manner previously described, so as to produce the alternate drop stitch fabric with the elastic thread in all the wales of separated or spaced The elastic thread courses may be separated at any desired number of courses, but I have found that a separation of three intervening courses of inelastic thread to be very satisfactory, and this 75 also provides one course of elongated stitches to In'Flg. 3 I have shown, ammatically,

relation of the different threads in the multiple-i course alternate drop stitch fabric containing. as-

before described, the elastic'thread I and the inelastic threads 2, 3 and 4. In Fig. 5 I have shown a similar diagrammatic illustration showing the relation of the threads in the alternate drop stitch fabric when formed by single course knitting, in which there will be only two threads, the elastic thread I and the inelastic thread la.

As before indicated, it will be obvious that the alternate drop stitch fabric forming the stocking top may be knit with threads of different colors to produce stripe efiects, which is especially facilitated where the fabric is formed by multiple course knitting, and by feeding different colored body yarns at the throat in the usual manner where it is formed by single course knitting. This alternate drop stitch fabric containing the spaced courses of stitches of elastic thread will obviously be of much less diameter than the leg portion B of the stocking and will constitute a form fitting top for the stocking. It also has very great elasticity, imparted to it both by the courses of elastic thread and by the necessary looseness of the stitches provided by the floats where the stitches are dropped, so that it can be readily stretched the desired amount to pass it over the heel in drawing on a sock. It is particularly suitable for the top of a short sock or anklet and for childrens socks and anklets, as will be readily understood, in the latter of which ornamental effects are par-, ticularly desirable. These ornamental effects are provided in part by the elongated stitches produced by intermediate courses'of inelastic thread not interknit with the elastic thread as before described, as well as by {striping and other eiTects produced by the use on colored yarns.

It will also be seen that the straightening of the elastic thread courses produces a. series of spaced horizontal beads on the inner face of the fabric, as indicated at r in Fig. 1, whichwill inno inconvenience therefrom.

The upper edge of the 'top may be finished by a turned and sewed welt w, as shown, or by a single thickness selvag'e of any usual or preferred It will be understood that in knitting the tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric herein the machine for the formation of my improved fabric or stocking top I'may, in some instances, altematethe selected needles (not provided with the shoulders above the butts) to which the elastic thread is fedwith two or more non-selected needles (provided with the shoulders above the butts), if this is found desirable. In the followwearer is not conscious of them, and experiences ingclaims where I have used the expression alternate drop stitch fabric I include fabric in which the wales are separated a distance equal indicated in Fig. 25, in which case the horizontal Circular series of needles. The operation of the.

machine will, however, be substantially as previously described. By alternating the selected needles with one, two or more non-selected needles the diameter of the fabric may be slightly varied, as will be readily understood.

In some instances it may be found desirable to feed an additional body thread, indicated at 5 in Figs. 23 to 25, inclusive, in plating relation with the elastic thread to the selected needles at knitting station No. 1, whether alternating with one or more non-selected needles. For this purpose I prefer to provide an auxiliary thread feed finger, indicated at lfla, conveniently located between the previously described thread feed fingers 'IB and I2, for feeding the extra body thread 5 to the selected needles only. This thread may be of the same or a different color from the adjacent body threads as preferred. After the fabric leaves the needles, the elastic thread I will straighten out due to the tension under which it is fed, in the manner previously described. The additional body thread 5 which will lie parallel to the elastic thread will not be contracted, as will the elastic thread and will form loops 5a projecting slightly from the inner surface of the fabric and forming an ornamental efiect in each course containing the elastic thread,

which may be utilized advantageously where the top portion is folded outwardly upon itself, in the when the fabric is stretched in placing it over the leg these ornamental loops will straighten out and permit the. stretching of the top to the necessary extent to permit it to be drawn over the heel and placed in proper position .on the leg.

Where the top is made either of the form of fabric illustrated in Fig. l, for example, or in Fig. 25, it can be folded outwardly upon itself, as

beads r on the exterior fold of the fabric will be brought to the outer face thereof and will contribute an ornamental effect to the fold, while the ribs r on the remaining inner fold of the fabricand on the inner face thereof will engage the skin of the wearer and hold the stocking in place on the leg in the manner previously described.

It will be seen that in my improved fabric the drop stitch fabric, or as it may be referred to as a ravel stitch fabric, distinguishes clearly from the float thread fabrics, sometimes inaccurately called drop stitch fabrics in which certaim needles are thrown out of operation and floats of the knitting thread are drawn straight across between the contiguous stitches, for the purpose of producing an imitation rib fabric of smaller diameter than would be the case if the thread were knit to form a stitch on each needle. In such mock rib fabrics, each float is of substantially the same length as the width of the needle wales, and sinker wales, which it displaces and the fabric has very little stretch laterally, and practically none longitudinally.

0n the contrary, in my improved fabric each float of the courses containing inelastic thread is of materially greater length than the width of the needle wales and sinker wales which it displaces because the stitches of the displaced wales are actually formed, and thenunraveled with the result that the full amount of thread is fed which would be required to form complete courses of stitches, so that were it not for the courses knit with elastic thread the resulting fabric would have a greater diameter than the normal' diameter of the fabric would have if each course contained. the complete number of consecutive stitches corresponding with the number of neeelastic thread, said elastic thread is knit only by spaced selected needles and is not knit by intervening needles and unraveled as is the inelastic thread. The elastic courses dralw the enlarged fabric together bringing the contiguouswales alongside of each other and slackening the floats of the inelastic thread courses and thus produces a smooth fabric having a much smaller number of stitches than regular plain knitting. Furthermore, as the stitches of elastic'thread interlock with stitches formed of inelastic thread in the preceding and succeeding courses,- the stitches of elastic thread will straighten out and thereby bring the preceding and succeeding course closer. to the elastic thread course as shown and described and this permits the resulting fabric to be stretched longitudinally to a very great extent in some instances nearly one hundred per cent of its normal length when not under distension in either direction, as will be readily understood.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of forming a tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric, which consists in feeding an elastic thread under tension to selected needles of a circular knitting machine alternating with unselected needles, to form spaced courses of the fabric, feeding an inelastic thread to all the needles in intervening courses, and permitting any stitches formed by the unselected needles in each of said intervening courses to unravel and form floats, thereby producing a plurality of continuous wales-on thread to all of the needles in intervening courses, and permitting any stitches formed on the intervening needles in each of said intervening courses to unravel, thereby producing a plurality of connected wales separated by floats of elastic and inelastic thread, and held in close association by the tension of the elastic thread course.

3. The process of forming a tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric which consists in bringing selected needles alternating with unselected needles to a different level from that of the intervening needles and feeding an elastic thread under tension to said selected needles only, and knitting stitches thereon, simultaneously feeding an inelastic thread to all of the needles at a difi'erent point around the circular series of needles from the feeding point for elastic thread, and knitting the same, and permitting any stitches formed by the intervening needles to unravel when knitting the next subsequent course of elastic thread, and producing a plurality of spaced lwalesconnected by floats of elastic and inelastic thread. 7

4. The process of forming a tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric which consists in bringing selected needles alternating with unselected needles to a different level from that ofthe intervening needles, feeding an elastic thread under tension, to said selected needles and knitting it, and simultaneously and separately feeding a plurality of inelastic threads to all of the needles at a difierent point around the circular series of needles and separately knitting the same to form multiple courses, and permitting the stitches formed by the non-selected needles to unravel at each course of elastic thread to form a plurality of wales separated by floats of elastic and inelastic thread.

5. In a process of knitting a stocking the following steps, knitting a plain knit alternate drop stitch top by feeding an elastic thread under tension to alternate needles of a circular knitting machine in spaced courses, and feeding inelastic thread to all of the needles in intervening courses, and permitting any stitches formed by the intervening needles to unravel, and knitting suc-,

,cessive courses of inelastic thread on all of the needles to form the leg of the stocking.

6. In a process of knitting a stocking the following steps, feeding an elastic thread under tension to alternate needles of a circular knitting machine, and knitting the same, and simultaneously and separately feeding a plurality of inelastic threads to all of the needles each at a separate point around the circular series of needles, said feeding points being spaced from each other and from the feeding point of the elastic thread and separately knitting the same to form multiple courses, and permitting any stitches formed on the unselected needles in each of said inelastic thread courses to unravel, and knitting a plurality'courses of stitches on all the needles of inelastic thread to form the leg of the stocking.

"l. The process of forming a tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric, which consists in.

feeding an elasticthread under tension together with an inelastic thread,.to selected needles, al-

ternating with unselected needles of a circular knitting machine, to form spaced courses of thefabric, feeding an inelastic thread to all the needles in courses intervening between said spaced courses and permitting any stitches formed by the intervening needles in said intervening courses to unravel and form floats, thereby producing a plurality of continuous wales on said selected needles connected by floats of the elastic and inelastic threads and drawn together by the tension of said elastic thread courses.

8. The process of forming a tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric, which consists in bringing selected needles alternating with unselected needles to a different level from the intervening needles and feeding an elastic thread under tension and an inelastic thread to said selected needles only and knitting stitches thereon composed: of both threads, simultaneously feeding an inelastic thread to all of the needles at a. separate point around the circular series of needles from the feeding point for the courses containing elastic thread and knitting the same, and permitting any stitches formed by the unselected needles to unravel when knitting the next subsequent courses containing elastic thread. A

9. The process of forming a tubular plain knit alternate drop stitch fabric, which consists in bringing selected needles alternating with unselected needles to a different level from that of the intervening needles, feeding an elastic thread under tension, together with an inelastic thread to said selected needles, and knitting them, and simultaneously and separately feeding a plurality of inelastic threads to all of the needles at separated points around the circular series of needles spaced from each other and from the feeding point for the courses containing elastic thread and separately knitting the same to form multiple courses, and permitting the stitches formed by the unselected needles to unravel at each course containing the elastic thread to form a plurality of spaced wales connected by floats of elastic and inelastic thread, and held in close relation by the tension of the elastic thread courses.

'10. The process of knit drop stitch elastic fabric which consists in feeding elastic thread under tension in spaced courses to selected spaced needles of a circular knitting machine separated by intervening unselected-needles to form stitches of elasticthread on said selected needles only connected by floats of elastic thread, and feeding inelastic thread in intervening courses both to said selected needles and intervening unselected needles and forming permanent stitches on said spaced selected needles onlyin each of said intervening courses, to form continuous wales on said selected needles only connected by floats of the inelastic and elastic threads and held in close association by the tension of the elastic thread.

I ROBERT EVAN DAVIS, JR.

forming a tubular plain 

